Temporary sanity is the key to agency worker row

If two groups of people disagree about something you can’t do much better than locking them in a room until some semblance of an agreement is reached. And so it goes with the stand-off over agency workers between employer groups and their trade union counterparts.

Commissioners from the two sides would then have to thrash it out until reaching some kind of compromise. And all being well, conscientious employers will continue to use agencies to plug seasonal demand without getting entangled in red tape, and less reputable employers will find it harder to take advantage of vulnerable staff.

However, Europe will have the final decision. And when its presidency of the EU begins in July, France is likely to resume its proposal for the Agency Workers Directive to hand temps equal employment rights after only six days.